Just Henry

For me good drama just clicks. It grabs me, I am hooked. There have been many good examples on TV recently but this is not one of them.

After the first few minutes I became aware of the actor's lines, always a sign that a film is not well written. As the film progressed it became more phony and, sometimes, even embarrassing.

This is a pity because the plot was very promising but the production simply didn't deliver. Although It has a surprisingly good cast, first class actors can only do their job with a first class script - this film simply doesn't have one.

it was ponderous and obvious. A good drama is always ahead of you, teasing, shocking, challenging you. This film moves at such a slow pace that the viewer is always there ahead of the action.

Oh dear indeed. What could possibly have been an interesting movie was ruined from the start by the usual portrayal of Northern English.

Over the top accents, over the top acting, sort of embarrassing to watch really, does anyone think people behave like this?

Henry is a complete waste of space, along with the patronizing mother and sheep like stepfather - it just does not hold water - a pretty bad choice if you have paid a tenner to watch this rubbish.

Henry - despite looking to be about 30 is at school - not convincing in the least, who thinks this rubbish up? are they mentally challenged? More to the point who actually finances these movies? They must be even more mentally challenged.

Eee bye gum.... pound of cheddar missus! Give it a miss.

"A letter came for you today" ....."Oh...ave never ad a letta before" Terrible acting, probably a BBC prescription method!

I finally got round to watching this recently. Having read Michelle Magorian's excellent novel, my expectations were quite high. The adaptation however turned to be a sad disappointment. It was poorly paced, badly written and lacked focus. What happened to Henry's interest in film? Sure, there were a few scenes in a cinema, and I was glad to see The Third Man being shown and homaged (with brief chiaroscuro lighting and dutch angles), but that whole element was pushed aside in favour of the uninspired drama scenes. I did admire some of its performances, especially Charlie Clark who gave an intriguing turn as Grace, but all in all it fails where the book was so successful.

The characters are well-intentioned but stupid. They decide based on emotions, and never stop to think if their assumptions are true. They create all manner of misery for themselves because of this.

I found myself wanting to smack the bigotry out of them.

The movie is based on a mystery. Two teenage boys each lost their fathers in the war, but no one will tell them any details. They gradually figure out what happened, bit by tiny bit. You keep thinking you have the mystery solved, but then off it takes on another twist.

It takes place in post-war England. Everything is grimy, in need of a coat of paint, and worn out. This recreation of this time period is so good you don't notice it. There was one flaw, a theatre marquee a little too modern for the period.

The actors have accents, and sometimes they don't speak that clearly. Sometimes the sound is muddy (especially a scene in a drain pipe). I missed a lot of dialogue. Even hitting replay, I still could not make it out.

There is one kind-hearted, sensible, character, a school teacher. She has an exaggerated sense of how wonderful she is, but she is fun to watch.

Even the villain has redeeming qualities. His motivations are laudable. He is more manic than wicked.

There is one scene where a baby is born. It takes just a few seconds. They thankfully spare us the screaming and blood, even after warning us that it is coming.

JUST HENRY concerns the plight of a boy growing up in a small Yorkshire town, circa 1950. He misses his WWII hero dad, doesn't like school and doesn't see much point to it even though a new inspiring teacher helps in this regard, and meets Grace, a very interesting girl who finds herself caught between Henry and his mortal foe, Paul. Like many BBC films, JUST HENRY does a fine job of meshing light, charming, funny moods with some very serious conflicts. Not a lot of frills and/or fast action--just an evenly paced film with a some truly memorable characters. Some really tense and unexpected stuff happens toward the end.

JUST HENRY is based upon a novel by Michelle Magorian and has been criticized for doing paltry justice to the book. All I know is that I enjoyed this film, and if the novel is much better (which is often the case), then I look forward to reading it.